


It's the Thought that Counts

by ShadowCrusade



Series: Soulmate's Stray Thoughts [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Fair Game Week (RWBY), FairGame Week 2020, I promised I would get this out and i did this at work so lets get this bread, M/M, clover's pov was so long, no beta this is the hill i die on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:00:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23222911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowCrusade/pseuds/ShadowCrusade
Summary: Day 4 - SoulmatesPart 2!Soulmate Au!In remnant, soulmates can hear each other's stray thoughts throughout the course of their lives. Some thoughts being more active than others. Clover wasn't sure what to expect for a soulmate. A danger, hard on himself guy wasn't what he had expected, but it's what he's got. And he wants nothing more, than to be there for him.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Soulmate's Stray Thoughts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669234
Comments: 8
Kudos: 120





	It's the Thought that Counts

**Author's Note:**

> Here's part 2 of the soulmate au! Entirely from Clover's pov!
> 
> If you haven't read Qrow's pov yet, check that in the previous part of the soulmate series!

Clover was always told by his parents that every thought he receives from his soulmate should be treasured. Each thought should be treated as an ancient wonder and that it should be written down, so that you never forget it. That people can’t hide their true feelings in stray thoughts and that it helps to know them better. 

But, what the heck is Clover supposed to do when his first thought from his soulmate is in a different language? Clover is around six years old at the time, and his parents just got done telling their love story to their kids for the hundredth time. It was Ivy’s favorite story. 

_ Digrif gan bob aderyn ei lais ei hun _

Clover received an image of a starry sky with the trees above, a soft wind blowing through their branches. The thought finished and Clover was already mentally reciting the way to pronounce the words that he heard before he forgot. He scrambled away from his mom who was trying to call him back, before he found a notebook and paper. Writing down the best way he could pronounce them as a six year old, his parents and siblings loomed over him as he finished the inscription, and made a note of what he saw. 

“Clover, what is this?” His father asked. 

“I heard my soulmate.” Clover explained. “But I don’t know what he said, so I wrote it down.” Clover tried to explain how he had heard it, and his parents determined that it wasn’t a language from a local area. Of course his soulmate was probably some place far away from him. 

But hey, at least the language was cool. 

Things were quiet between him and his soulmate for a bit until about six months later, after Clover’s seventh birthday. 

_ At this point, I might as well just start a landslide and then use that to snowboard. _

_ That’s a bad idea, don’t do that _ . Clover thought back, although he knew it was pointless. That isn’t how the connection between soulmates worked. And things were silent between the two once again and probably for the better since Clover and the rest of his siblings were all under house arrest for keeping a secret dog in the basement of their house. He can’t imagine his thoughts at the time were anything for entertainment to say the least. 

* * *

A couple years passed before he heard from his soulmate once again. This time Clover seriously wondered if this would be the last time he ever heard from his soulmate. 

An image of cliff sides entered his mind, and Clover immediately jotted it down, so as not to forget. His little book dedicated his soulmate’s thoughts. The image itself was beautiful and Clover wondered if that’s where his soulmate lived. It was a nice thought, until his soulmate looked down to the ocean below and thought  _ I wonder how much a cliff dive from here would hurt? _

The connection cut off once again. Clover couldn’t help but start crying and his parents had to comfort him. The poor boy had thought he had just lost his soulmate forever, he buried himself in books trying to distract himself for the next couple of weeks when the source of his anxiety was relieved. 

_ Man, fuck this arm cast, can’t they just give me a pill and make my arm magically not broken? _

Clover cried tears of joy while writing down the thought. 

_ You stupid soulmate, making me cry like that. _ Clover hoped that his soulmate received that thought, the younger boy stewed about it for days before letting go of his anger. Although his youngest sister, Wisteria, thought it was absolutely hilarious. 

_ Soulmate, I hope you’re doing okay out there. _ Clover thought as he shut his notebook. 

* * *

_ Note to self, don’t ever get into a bar fight with Summer involved. She can and will absolutely destroy me. _

A bar what?! Clover didn’t expect to wake up from a nap to this but here was, scrambling to write down the new thought. Gods, how old was his roommate if he was getting into bars? Maybe he was like Briar and Bramble, who were both using fake IDs to sneak in, but his soulmate wasn’t that bad? Right? Clover had to sit down and really contemplate what his soulmate was up to. 

He didn’t hear anything regarding the incident at the bar so Clover could only hope that his soulmate was okay. A few months later he was given another thought and it was strangely normal, compared to the previous thoughts.

_ I wonder what soulmate is up to right now? _

Clover wanted to answer. He really did, but he knew that wasn’t how things worked. It made him sad a little, but he knew that one day they would meet. And it would be worth it, just like his parents said.

* * *

Years passed, Clover was at the top of class in cadet school for the Atlas military. He wasn't sure if it was the stormy clouds that were overhead, or hearing the news of his favorite teacher retiring, but he had been feeling down all day. Laying back on his bed and trying to think positively, when the familiar connection between him and soulmate reestablished.

_ What if my soulmate realises I’m not worth it? And they move on to someone better? _

Clover rolled his eyes. Now that was an insane thought to have. 

_ I wonder if my soulmate realises how much of a doofus he is. _ Clover thought back as he felt some of the sadness he had been feeling lift. Maybe that’s all his terrible mood was, just his soulmate feeling down. Was it even possible to have left over feelings from a soulmate’s mood? Clover had never heard of that happening before soulmate’s meet each other, what was different? 

Clover hoped that one day he could find out. 

* * *

Going through Atlas Academy had been no easy feat for Clover, despite what his fellow classmates thought. His semblance being discovered and exposed during his first year had been rough. It was hard to maintain any true friendships with any of them, and it was even harder to get his peers approval. 

_ No, Ebony, I didn’t ask for my good luck semblance. No, I’m not sharing so that you can impress your parents, please go and throw yourself at Morado since that is your only talent. _ To say that Clover was fed up with his classmates by the time he graduated was an understatement. Despite the kind nature he had, he had been ready to strangle all of them and leave them tied up on a sinking ship. The temptation was there, despite the numerous times he seriously contemplated it and planned it out, he never acted on it. He began to wonder if his soulmate ever went through this. 

Clover stopped to ponder about his soulmate for a second. The last few thoughts he had heard over the years had been concerning to say the least. First, it was about sentiments of abandonment, but for awhile it seemed that maybe things were going okay. And then, his soulmate plummeted again, the death of a friend. Clover didn’t personally know the person who died, but he felt his heart break when he heard his soulmate’s thoughts. 

_ She’s gone. Summer’s gone.  _

Needless to say, Clover wasn’t doing great at all that day or for the rest of the week. 

_ I’m here.  _ Clover would think. Hoping that something would send through to his soulmate.  _ I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.  _ The process would repeat as his soulmate seemed to fall deeper into despair and Clover would try and be encouraged to see things in a new light.  _ When I meet you, I’m going to wrap you in blankets so that you can’t be hurt anymore. _

Clover rose in the ranks of the military, a vast majority of his comrades already found their soulmates. He had made plenty of friends and would hear the stories of how they met, what their first thoughts to each other were, sometimes even how they still hear each other’s thoughts after an argument and the trivial concern over that. Clover always enjoyed hearing these stories, but when asked about feeling emotions, the answer was the same. 

No one had experienced anything like that.

Maybe it was just him? Maybe he was projecting, but he doubted it. Clover didn’t think life could throw anymore curveballs at him than what he was already going through. 

And then, he got handpicked by the General himself to be leader of a newly formed team. The base team was already formed before he was asked to come in. Marrow and Harriet with their freeze and speed combination. While Vine and Elm had their push-pull dynamic. All they needed was a leader, preferably two leaders, to lead the two seperate partnerships. There wasn’t anyone that complimented Clover’s fighting style, he fought well with them, and got along well with the potential co-leaders, but in the end there was no one to match up with Clover. So, it was decided by the General that Clover be the lone leader of the AceOps. 

Being part of the AceOps came with more responsibilities than most other huntsmen in Atlas. They were at the beck and call of the General, and were mostly on-call for their duties. They could be called to go at any moment. This only increased when the General trusted them with a world ending secret. 

The existence of Salem. 

To say that the AceOps needed some time to process that information would be an understatement. The General had selected them for this battle. How well they fought together, their attack strategies, and everything else that had gone so well for them. And now, their true purpose was revealed, Atlas’ last stand against Salem, should it come to that. Despite everything, Clover couldn’t help but worry about his soulmate, god how would he handle the news?

_ Looks like the witch has made her move. _

Clover sat up from his bed. Did...did his soulmate already know about Salem? That’s when the call came through.

“Elm? What-” 

“Beacon is down!” Elm shouted through his scroll. “It looks as though the Atlas military is being framed for destroying Beacon!” 

“What?!” Clover immediately pulled up the news on his scroll. The scroll presented him with live footage of the destruction of Beacon academy. The destruction of Penny and the mass attack of Grimm and the panic. Then the footage cut out. 

“Clover! What do we do?” Elm’s voice reached through to him amidst his shock. “Prepare the troops and get ready for a meeting with the council, we have to stand in for the General since he isn’t here.” 

_ My soulmate...he knows about Salem. He’s either there at Beacon, or he’s seeing it happen live.  _ This left a whole different can of worms for him to deal with, but one thing at a time. 

* * *

_ Eternal sleep... what a nice thought. _

Clover was in the middle of doing some late night paperwork when he received this thought. He could feel the despair in his partner’s words and he wanted nothing more than to comfort his soulmate.  _ Gods, when I find you, I’m gonna kiss you for every bad thought I’ve ever heard you have. _

_ You’ll be kissing me a lot then. _

Clover damn near fell out of his chair. Was a two way communication established?  _ Hello? _ No answer. Of course, this is where the communication falls silent.  _ Come on! Not now! Please answer me! _ Silence. Clover took in a deep breath.  _ I’m gonna find these Gods that decided this was the way to find your soulmate and strangle them. One day, I will find you.  _

And that day came in the coming weeks. There was a report of a stolen airship that had refused to touchdown in Atlas military space. The ship had parked itself in the city of Mantle, and the General had sent out orders to retrieve the ship and its inhabitants. The AceOps were down in Mantle when the Grimm alarms went off. They prioritized citizens first before they went on about their mission. Weiss Schnee was reported to be part of the stolen transport, so locating her wouldn’t be very hard if she looked anything like her sister. 

“Captain. I’ve located the targets.” Vine’s voice came through the coms. “They are in the street level below, speaking with Penny.” 

“Team, you know your mission. Capture them quickly and move them to the prisoner transport.” Clover instructed as he himself came into visual view of the group. They were mostly kids with one adult. A strange band to have together, but Clover has seen stranger things with his position as an AceOps leader. 

Marrow had been the first to strike with the restraints as the group members were taken down. Last one standing was the adult, who pulled out his sword and glanced around for the attacks. Clover saw the opportunity and sent a restraint flying towards the dark haired man. Right on target. The man went down, dropping his sword and the AceOps could safely secure the scene. 

_ Not sure why they thought stealing an airship and coming into another kingdom illegally was a good idea, but okay.  _ Clover thought to himself as he landed in front of the dark haired man he restrained. He heard him mutter something under his breath, but didn’t quite catch it since he was making sure that the rest of his team were securing the targets. 

“Hey pal! I’m a licensed huntsman, just helped save everyone?” Clover looked down at the captured huntsman, red eyes boring into his.  _ Cute _ . Dr. Poledina was also present to which Clover had to explain to the doctor why the arrest was even being made, which should have been obvious. With a relic in hand, Clover went off to send it off to the General. Better send it in the General’s personal drone, rather than with the transport. Although, considering that they had a relic, and seemed to dislike the arrest, Clover made sure to be at the prisoner transport. The kids were being loaded first while the red eyed man was the last one to be loaded. Clover was giving instruction to the pilots about what to expect if they try a mid-flight escape, he’s been through that enough times. 

_ Of course my soulmate would arrest me on sight, just my luck.  _

Clover froze. He searched the group and once again made eye contact with the red eyed huntsman. His face that once harbored defeat, faced him with confusion and curiosity. Before Clover could even begin to try and stop the door from shutting, the transport was taking off into the sky. 

“Captain? We should probably take the next transport to Atlas next. The General might need us.” Harriet informed. 

“Do you have the list of their IDs?” Harriet handed him the larger digital pad. He scrolled through the names of the recently caught when one name stood out. 

Qrow Branwen. 

The information on him was scarce, but he came to Atlas, with a relic. He had to have known about Salem. Was his soulmate the legendary scythe wielder? He’d have to find out. 

When he told Elm about his suspicions, the muscled woman laughed. “Of course you’re soulmate might be a guy with a long standing history of fighting authority. Just your luck, Captain!” She had laughed for ages. 

There wasn’t any confirmation that Qrow was his soulmate. Although, a game of cards in the back of a van ride only ensured that Qrow was his soulmate. For being a legendary huntsman, Qrow was a downer in himself, not unlike the thoughts that Clover had been receiving throughout the years. Although, even if Qrow wasn’t his soulmate, he made sure that Qrow would stop deflecting the good things about himself and made sure to see that Qrow was worth that effort. Slowly, the two began to spend time together outside of work and there was a genuine friendship that had formed. Qrow slowly stopped deflecting and started sharing bits and pieces of his life. Suspiciously, since they met there hadn’t been a single thought from his soulmate. 

It wasn’t until Qrow was recounting a story regarding his own soulmate that confirmed for Clover what he was hoping for. Clover had decided to bring up the incident with the cliff and while Qrow had looked confused at first, he suddenly understood what Clover was asking. 

“Holy shit. You’re my soulmate.” 

“I guess I am.” Clover replied with the biggest smile on his face. He explained his suspicions upon their first encounter and the pouted look that Qrow gave him was adorable that it took every ounce of willpower to not pinch his cheeks.

“Since the moment we met?” Qrow asked.

“Pretty much.”

“You arrested me on sight you jackass!” Qrow had yelled. Though, he wasn’t angry. The smile on his face betrayed the words he spoke. Which then led to a conversation about Qrow’s horrible taste in pizza, and also Qrow knowing about Heinz the dog. Of all things to know, why did it have to be about the dog?

Later that night, the two of them were cuddled up on the couch together, Qrow telling Clover some of the stranger thoughts he had remembered Clover thinking. And Clover expresses to Qrow his frustration at not being to communicate with Qrow and to be there for him. The dark haired man simply cuddled closer to Clover, head resting on the AceOps chest. 

“I’m glad you didn’t give up on me.” Qrow told him. Clover kissed the top of Qrow’s head gently as his response. The pair laid comfortably in silence as they let the sounds of the TV keep going in the background. 

That’s when Clover remembered something important. “Wait Qrow, I have something for you.” Clover hopped off the couch, much to Qrow’s displeasure and went to the locked door in his desk. He pulled out the small worn out journal in which he had kept Qrow’s thoughts over the years. Qrow had sat up on the couch at this point and was looking at the journal that Clover held with curiosity. 

“What’s that Lucky Charm?” 

“This,” Clover opened up the journal. “Is every thought you’ve ever had that I heard.” Qrow eyes widened in surprise. “There was one thought I really wanted to ask you about.” Qrow gestured to the book at hand, and Clover flipped through to the first page. “It’s this one. I was six and didn’t know if this was just gibberish or an actual language.” Qrow looked at it for a second, and also read Clover’s notes from what he saw. 

“Digrif gan bob aderyn ei lais ei hun...” Qrow said softly. Gods, it sounded even more beautiful in person to hear those words. “You heard that?”

“I did.” Clover waited a few seconds, inspecting Qrow’s face and seeing the small smile as he traced the lines of the drawing that Clover made as a child. “What do they mean?”

“Every bird relishes his own voice.” Qrow told him. “It was part of a song that my mother used to sing apparently. My uncle was the one to tell me.” Clover breathed out a sigh of relief that Qrow would trust him with that. 

“Now, to make due on a promise that I made you.” Clover smirked as quickly pinned the other huntsman underneath him. The surprise and amused look on his soulmate’s face was very apparent. 

“Oh? What promise is that?” Qrow asked. A smirk on his own lips. Clover grabbed the book and flipped to the page he was looking for. He gave it to Qrow to, who very pointedly put the book between the two and Clover waited for the other’s response. “Oh...I didn’t realise that you heard that.” Qrow said as Clover scooted up to peak over the journal's edge. Qrow immediately tried to hide behind the book and Clover laughed as he gently pried the book away from his soulmate. 

“I promised that I would kiss you for every negative thought I’ve heard over the years from you. That includes after we met too.” Clover tells him. “And if my memory serves right, we’re up to about forty-two kisses.” 

“You think you won’t get tired of kissing me after seven times?”

“Never.” Clover slowly closed his eyelids as he leaned down, lips meeting Qrow’s. The soft pressure of their lips against each other having a comforting feeling. Clover pulled back, eyes slowly opening to find Qrow’s eyes mirroring his. “That’s one.”

“I don’t know Lucky Charm. I think that needs a redo, you know just to make it perfect.” Qrow responded smugly. 

“Oh is that so? My bad your highness, let me try again.” Clover leaned back down, as Qrow leaned up to meet him halfway. Their lips meeting once more, Clover gently flicking his tongue across Qrow’s lips, asking for an entrance. Qrow happily complinging. 

The two of them moving their tongues against each other, in a small battle of dominance. Qrow softly moaned into the kiss as Clover settled between Qrow’s legs. Clover lowered his body closer to Qrow’s, one hand gently caressing the side of his lover’s face. The need to pull apart for air was starting to overtake Clover, but he refused to be the one to back down first and Qrow had the same idea. Qrow’s arms glided down Clover’s back and before settling on his lower back. Clover propped himself up on an elbow and used his other hand to grab Qrow’s leg and wrap it around his hip, the heavy breathing between them evident as soon there was no room for air between their passion. 

Qrow broke first. A gasp of air coming from his mouth while Clover also took a deep inhale of air. Settling his forehead on Qrow’s the two of them breathed together before the exertion had finally subsided. Clover looked at his soulmate, who was still taking in slow deep breaths to calm down, eyes closed, slight redness on his face. Clover kissed the tip of his nose and Qrow opened his eyes. A soft smile given in response.

“How’s that for kiss number one?”


End file.
